Military Man's Promise

 (I jacked this Heather's facebook...kudos!)

I cannot promise you every night of my life. I cannot promise to be beside you for every difficult moment, every trial, and every hardship. In truth..., I can promise you that I will not be with you for most. I will leave you at inconvenient times. Any special date to us may be tainted with the anniversary of the death of one of my friends. I will ask you to take over whatever life we have built together for months and years at a time. And will then crash back into that life that you have used your sweat, your tears and your heartache to keep together, and try to take it back as I knew it before.

I will shut you out at times because it will be the best way for me to hold it together at that moment. I will lie to you. I will tell you I don't know things when I do. I will not always tell you where I am going, when I will be back, or who I am with. I may not call you for weeks and months and you will not be able to call me. You will ask questions that I won't answer. You will know answers to questions that you will hope you never need. I will share things with my brothers that you will never understand. They will know things about me that you never will. They will be a support to me in some things that you cannot be. I will miss birthdays. I will miss anniversaries. I may need time to process things that seem natural to everyone else. It will seem that someone - or something - will always take precedence over you. You may lose me long before you ever thought possible.

I will uproot you and ask you to re-establish our family anywhere in the world, in any season, at any time - over and over again. Sand and mud will be tracked through your halls from the boots I am too tired to take off. I will leave you when you beg me not to. I will stand at attention while you cry beside me. I will not turn my head and I will walk away. I will knowingly break your heart. And I will do it again - and again. Whenever you want to call and you have no number to dial, I will be wanting to do the same. I will protect everything that we have created together with every fiber of my being while you do the same back at home. I will honor you in everything - every moment that we are apart and every moment that I am with you. I will fight harder and push further knowing that I do so for you. And I will carry you with me in everything, until my sandy boots once again sit just inside our door.

The D word.

Yep. It's that time again...Deployment work up. wooohooo.

Insert kicking screaming overly dramatic fit here.

As for timing, it looks like we have about 7 or so months (ish) until D day.


But then there is PTA, CAX..field ops..

Ok, this is going to be a short post - because right now I can't talk/type/whatever without getting a knot in my throat.

Basically, I know it's going to be okay - I know that the Lord will carry us both just like he always has and always will... but I'm simply just NOT ready to think about it.

Aiden update, 10 Months!

this whole thing started so Pat could keep taps on Aiden while away... and Im updating so our family and friends back home can do the same :) but I've totally been lagging - So here's an Aiden update!

10 months old

Handsome little stinker.

Aiden Patrick - 22 lbs and 29 Inches long. 

Current list of activities:                                           Things we can check off the "to do" list:

Crawling                                                                         1. Say Mama

Saying Dada every 5 seconds                                          2. Cut his firth tooth

Crawling up stairs when he gets the chance                      3. Wave

Playing in the toliet when we leave the door open             4. Transition from bottle to sippys

Pushing his push walker

Walking along furniture

Pulling up

He is SUCH a ham, and I love him more and more each day and it's hard to believe that Im planning his first birthday, I really don't know where the last year went, Im so thankful Patrick is home again - but sometimes I wish Aiden was still my sweet little baby that would fall asleep in my arms - and now he refuses to snuggle with me (he is a total daddys boy)

He LOVES food. He "smile crys" as pat puts it, if you have food near him even if he has already eaten, it cracks me up.

He is off bottles before one! He loves his sippy cup (thankfully) now to get him off the binky (totally not looking forward to that one)

thats all for now!,

  -Kels.

Summer sum up.

My bad.

Pat came home, I got busy.. Aiden started crawling and eating things he wasn't supposed to...aaaand apparently that's all I needed to neglect my blog, whoops.

I'll sum up our summer...

May - Pat came home (yay!) Pat went on duty (boo!) Pat went on duty again..and again..and again..

June - Aiden turned 8 months old, Pat had more duty..and we went home on leave! :)

July-  We were home for most of July (yay!) We were home for a couple of weeks and it was really nice to see family and friends... I wish I could have packed my niece and nephew in a box and brought them home...thats the biggest thing I hate about being so far away... my friends and family know us, and are able to pick up phones...Im scared Noah and Kendall aren't going to remember us, mainly Kendall.. (me specifically, im being selfish) and I love those little boogers.

Arin got married :) I was so honored to be with her on her big day :) she looked gorgeous as always, and I think I cried every 4 minutes because I'm emotional. and I had the chance to "attend something" with my husband (rare)
    side note: We left hawaii on June 30th, got to Virginia on July 1st and Arin's wedding was July 2nd.... aaand they lost my luggage...we brought 2 suitcases, 1 seabag a carseat and stroller halfway across the world and they lose the 1 piece of luggage that had my bridesmaid dress (awesome) soo I totally freaked out in the airport (obviously) and thankfully Patrick was there to calm me down. (props to Sarah for offering to drive to woodbride to get my another dress...thats 4 hours away) THANKFULLY, I got my suitcase at 10pm that night and her wedding was 11 am the next morning, whew.
 
The Tollesons came to salem! :) Which is always a good time...Patrick and Josh hadn't seen eachother in over a year and change...and these two are hilarious together, hence the... "always a good time" and I got to see Jamie, which wasn't too shabby either (love you!) Sarah and Damon pulled their camper down and parked it infront of my house...it was a true Griswold moment.

Basically we had alot of fun being home., Aiden and Kendall were like peas in a pod and they were always together, and Noah is getting so big :( Im sad I'm missing him grow up. Kenn too. BUT, Im excited about where God has led us.

aaaand we left home July 23rd. (sorry for leaving on your bday Rach!) Or actually we didn't. Because, they put us on the plane and let us buckle our seatbelts JUST to take us off again, and make us wait in the airport with a cranky baby to tell us our flight was no longer delayed, but canceled.
-SO, we waited 3 hours in line to find out we can't get out of Roanoke on the 23rd but they had a flight to Atlanta  in the morning.....I about had my 2nd Roanoke airport meltdown because A.) Flying for 8 hours straight with a wiggly baby isn't peachy. B.) Pat and I wouldn't be sitting together for those 8 hours.

Fastforward : It all worked out, we got economy plus seats and sat together all the way home.

God does things we don't understand....but it's better to trust him than to burst out in tears in the middle of the airport. (I looked like I was 5, Patrick literally MADE me go take a nap when we got home haha)

August - I turned 23! woooo :)

Arin and Steph in true form.

My baby girl Kennie, she hates this... I think its why I do it :)

They were glued at the hip.

S.Sloppy.

My little family.

the end. 

100% down, Zero to go - Homecoming.

Homecoming Day Timeline :

Midnight ("night before") - tossing and turning

1 a.m : More tossing, no sleeping

3 a.m : A little bit of facebooking, no sleeping, some texting

4 a.m : Called my Grandma to chat

Last time I looked at the clock it was around 5 in the morning.... Sleep - EPIC FAIL, But good thing I stayed up that late... I called the deployment hotline and homecoming had been postponed from 8 a.m until 11 a.m, and I was a little thankful because I didn't have to rush as much :)

Aiden got up about an hour after I fell asleep of course so we just hung out and made sure the house was clean and everything was in its place, once I got a shower I realized oh wow, this IS happening today. Heather came over after she dropped Ashlyn off for school to make sure I was still breathing haha, (I thank the Lord for her help the past couple of weeks, from driving me to timbuktoo to helping me hang curtains, pictures and homecoming signs. *Thanks heather!!* )

Mandie met Aiden and I at the house around 9 a.m and watched me fret over my dress, jewelry and everything else, I refused to get Aid dressed until we were leaving... I was terrified he would spit up all over his cute little patriotic outfit :) (which he did, multiple times.. oh, and he included my dress as well) Mandie was also wonderful, she kept me calm the entire day, and I don't think she would've judged me if I wouldve thrown up everywhere (once agian, got close... multiple times)

We got our cars and made our way to the Hanger where they would be landing... I cried on the way there.. KNOWING I would get to see Patrick was really overwhelming, it finaaaally fully hit me that he was coming home.  Home, our home. whew.

They had pizza for the families and a bouncy house for the children and music, it was a really good atmosphere for homecoming, but, in true Marine Corps fashion-homecoming got postponed, again. SEMPER GUMBY. They crowded everyone together to tell us that the guys plane was having issues, and they were going to bus them in from Hickam airforce base, and it would be another 2 hours. 2 hours, are you serious? I refused to be defeated though... I was getting my honey back :) Mandie stayed with Aiden in the hanger and I ran home to get him more food-Good thing I live on base, bc I live like 4 minutes from the hangers haha

Fastforward - Someone said the buses were 10 minutes away!!!! aaaand 20 minutes go by...no buses.
- 1 of the 4 buses got lost, and they were waiting for it (yes, patrick was on this bus..go figure haha)

Once the bus was finally located, they all drove around the hangers and everyone went nuts, these 2 little girls were screaming "DADDYS ON THE BUS!!" and It was giving me goose bumps, because it was real... he was home, I would be in his arms in less than a couple of minutes.... I had SO many emotions.

They were coming off the buses and walking under and archway single file - and I kept asking Mandie if she could find him (her husband is stationed here too, but she went to HS with Pat) and Finally I was like, "Aiden look its daddy!!" Pat totally didn't see us at first, but once he hugged me, the last 6 months were gone in that second. It was almost as if he never left, I was kissing and hugging my husband, Did I cry? No - I couldn't stop smiling... He was home, I had him back.... and Aiden finally got his Daddy.

I've heard women say that seeing their husbands hold their babies after theyre born, makes them fall in love with them all over again....I can say that this is true, but seeing your son squeal and kick at the sight of his Daddy after 6 months.... I honestly don't have words for how I feel. It's been a week and I'm still getting butterflies watching my two guys together.

The Lord has truely blessed my life, and knowing that he loves Patrick and Aiden more than I do, it just makes everything alright.

To sum up the rest of the day, we tried to pick pat up at the armory, (that didn't work haha) went and hung out at the barracks, and then brought him HOME. Finally, he was home.

That is all. :)

SPECIAL THANKS TO MANDIE OF PEACE.LOVE.FOCUS.PHOTOGRAPHY!

Pre-homecoming jitters.

My mind is a bit everywhere right now.

I guess that happens when it FINALLY hits you that you'll be getting your husband back any day now...I really feel like I could throw up any second. Gross.

My mind has been so enveloped in moving,aiden,working,setting up the house,worries & life to stop and think about much. Honestly, I like it that way...when I have too much time on my hands my mind just runs, and then it gets to where I can't sleep and believe me, the world isn't a better place when I dont sleep ;) haha.

Its 10:30 at night in hawaii right now,  and since about 7ish this is what I have accomplished:

• Swept & mopped the floors
•  cleaned my counter tops
• Swept and moped the floors (not a typo, I did this twice)
• wiped down the insides of the cabinets
• did 2 loads of laundry
• Sterlized a bunch of aidens toys, and ruined a couple in the process
• Cleaned the downstairs bathroom
• picked up his toys
• rearranged the junk drawer
• put a picture in a frame
• Took the picture out, switched it....then proceeded to put the 1st one back

I am a nervous wreck, can ya tell?

It might seem silly, and you may be thinking...your getting your husband back! Why aren't you more excited?? HECK YES - I AM EXCITED....but there is more than just excitment; I would be lying if I didn't say I had those "pre homecoming jitters" and had those lingering questions in my head. The "Will he still think im pretty?" "Will he like what I did with the house?" " Does he still love me the way he did when he left?"

Realistically - the answer to all of those is Yes.

But, I'm a girl. (Stating the obvious)

I know how Pat feels about me, and I know he loves me, of course. I can't explain it...it runs through your head anyway. I guess it just comes with the territory

 

So without completely throwing OPSEC out the window...I can  hang out with him this weekend... I can text him, I can finally wake up beside him.

I thank the good LORD ABOVE for all of those things.

Pat,

See ya at homecoming ;)

I Love you, this you know.

Kels xoxo

2,792 & "Fair weather fans"

There are 2 discussions in the post....

 & Im getting on my soapbox. Apologies.

1. I don't understand why anyone would ever make a joke about September 11th, 2001.

 2,792 people died that day.

People all around the world, people just like each and every person who is taking the time to read this, lost someone important to them. Brothers, Fathers, Sons, Wives, Daughters? Someone's best friend is no longer alive because of that awful day. It is a date that will be burned into our minds for eternity.

I just wish people would have a little more respect for THOSE people.

The death of Osama bin Laden was enough to bring back the flood of emotions and tears that many of those people will never let go of, they don't need you to say awful things about that day, or to make a joke, or even a play on words about that situation?

Can you imagine your husband,the person you love more than anything in this world....calling you before his death? Calling you to telll you the plane he was on had been hijacked...and he wanted to hear your voice one last time....? and those people may be the lucky ones....because they got one last I love you from the family and friends that mean the most to them.

What about the 10 year old little girl who lost her daddy that day? Would you taunt her with a joke about how her father died?

Call me crazy, or dramatic.... but it really bothers me when others intentionally cause others pain. Stop & think about what your saying, or put yourself in their shoes.... how hard is that? Im not perfect and I dont claim to be, I know ive hurt others-and I've said things I should.... but to flat out be that disrespectful is beyond me.

no.. you may not know anyone who lost a loved one that day, but look at the reprecusions from 9/11,

"U.S Casualties in Afghan soar toward 15,000 dead and injured."

I don't care if you support the war or not, but look at the people THAT DAY has affected. Besides those who lost family members on September 11th, many other people have lost loved ones in the 10 years we have been fighting this war.... have.some.respect.

You don't know who is around when your saying it, or you may not realize the impact it has when you post it. It boils down to something I learned when I was tiny, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all" You can bet your butt I will teach Aiden this saying.

2. On tuesday it was announced Osama bin laden was dead. My newsfeed was blowing up with :

"Heck yes military" 

 "Way to get em troops"

"So proud of our troops"

But, I have seen some of those same people bash them? and say horrid things about how we don't need to be over there... and even go as far as to chuckle at the Westboro baptist members? (thats a whole different discussion) So, why now? Why be a "fair weather fan" to the military....because our country is responsible for his death...yea, so what? Where is that patriotism and support for them EVERY OTHER DAY? The day he was killed wasn't the only day in the last 10 years that these brave men and woman have been risking/losing their lives - looking for this man so that the US can stay safe. Just as a heads up.

<3